Your Progressive News Source

‘They’re trying to turn Elizabeth Warren into a boogeyman’

They’re trying to turn Elizabeth Warren into a boogeyman. They, being the Republicans are already trying to make Elizabeth Warren the face of the Democratic Party — and the 2018 midterms.

Trying to turn Elizabeth Warren into a boogeyman? Party strategists believe the liberal Massachusetts senator’s brand of politics is a serious turnoff to voters outside the coasts. | AP Photo

Republicans need a new campaign villain — and Elizabeth Warren is looking increasingly like their choice.

With Barack Obama and Harry Reid out of office and Nancy Pelosi toiling deep in the minority, Republicans are in search of a figure so reviled by the conservative base that he or she motivates donors to open their wallets and voters to go the polls.

Party strategists believe the liberal Massachusetts senator’s brand of politics is a serious turnoff to voters outside the coasts — and will be a liability for at least five Democrats up for reelection in states President Donald Trump easily won. So Republicans are already making plans to raise her profile — in the worst way possible — ahead of the 2018 midterms.

Warren is getting top billing in news releases by the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Senate Leadership Fund, a prominent Republican super PAC with ties to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). The NRSC is launching a new round of digital ads on Wednesday dinging incumbent Democrats for voting with Warren, officials said. And it’s just a matter of time before she’s featured prominently in TV ads, too.

“Elizabeth Warren is the face of the Democratic Party,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Cory Gardner (Colo.). “She’s extremely popular with their base, and that’s why she’s leading them right now. That’s why [Democrats] are voting 100 percent of the time with Elizabeth Warren.”

Republicans have long tried to personalize off-year election cycles, driving a wedge between vulnerable incumbents and their lightning-rod leaders. In 2010, the GOP spent $75 million on advertisements featuring then-House speaker Pelosi. To a lesser degree they tried it again in 2014 with Reid, the Democratic Senate leader, who was often featured with Obama. Both GOP wave elections were cast as referendums on Obama.

There are fewer targets now with Donald Trump in the White House and Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress. Schumer has relatively low name ID and a reputation as a dealmaker, not a partisan warrior.

So Warren it is. Her liberal profile makes for an inviting contrast to the image of moderation that swing-state Democrats will be aiming to project in a host of conservative-leaning states next year, Republicans say. And to the extent they can knock Warren down a few pegs, it would diminish an early Democratic frontrunner for president in 2020.

In interviews, Democratic senators said they’re prepared for millions in ads linking them to Warren, whose office declined to comment for this story.

“To suggest that we’re Elizabeth Warren is ridiculous, especially when you look at voting records and where we’ve been,” said Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.). “They need a boogeyman, and they’re trying to turn Elizabeth into a boogeyman. And I think maybe what they should worry about more is actually doing America’s work.”

It’s not a surefire play for Republicans. Warren electrifies the Democratic base more than perhaps any other senator and is frequently used in Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee literature to raise money or build fundraising lists. Her favorability rating is slightly above water — better than Schumer’s and Pelosi’s, though worse than Bernie Sanders’. If the strategy backfires, it could boost Warren’s White House prospects.

Warren has emerged as among the Democratic Party’s most outspoken opposition figures to Trump. Earlier this month, she was silenced by McConnell after reading a 1986 letter from Coretta Scott King that criticized then-Sen. Jeff Sessions, Trump’s nominee for attorney general. Although Sessions was confirmed, the episode generated a wave of attention for Warren that few, if any, other Democrats could match.

But according to Republicans, her popularity simply doesn’t extend to the states where the midterms will be won or lost — places like North Dakota, West Virginia, Missouri, Indiana and Montana.

“In the states that Trump won that Democrats are running in, I can’t imagine that she helps them. I think she hurts them,” said Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas), a former chairman of the NRSC.

The first election after a new president is sworn in typically gives the minority party a major opportunity to wrest back some control of Washington. But there are nearly a dozen Democratic senators up for reelection next year in competitive states, and only two Republicans.

The GOP controls 52 seats, so even if there’s a backlash against Trump, there’s little chance Democrats will take back the Senate.

The new NRSC ads focus on the 10 Democrats on the ballot in states Trump carried, dinging them for voting with Warren. They say West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin voted with her 78 percent of the time and Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown did so 97 percent of the time. It’s not clear how much money is behind them, though officials said they will appear on Facebook feeds in those competitive states.

Schumer said flatly of the GOP strategy: “It’s not going to work.”

And moderate Democrats argue that it’s a stretch, at best, to accuse them of being Warren clones.

“She has her own brand. And I think I have my own brand in my own state, so it really doesn’t hurt me,” said Manchin. “They’ve tried the ‘guilty by association’ with [Obama.]”

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who initiated the effort to sideline Warren during the Sessions debate, said the Massachusetts senator’s ascendance helps the GOP.

“One of the responsibilities when you represent an entire state is to listen to all of the voices,” said Daines, who himself experienced a boomlet of attention after telling Warren to take her seat. “Ultimately, you want to make sure you are aligned with where most Montanans are on an issue. And I can tell you most Montanans are not aligned with Elizabeth Warren.”

But Daines’ Montana colleague, Sen. Jon Tester, said her reputation in the state is more nuanced. “There are some people in Montana that love her,” said Tester, a Democrat who is up in 2018. “There are some people in Montana that hate her. And there are a lot of shades of gray in between.”

Warren campaigned for Democratic Senate candidates last year in states including North Carolina and Missouri. That suggests Democrats believe she’s a net plus, even if those candidates lost. Warren has her own Senate race in 2018, which will keep her in Massachusetts much of the next year, allowing incumbents to sidestep potential criticism over stumping with her.

Democrats argue that Trump, not Warren, will drive next year’s election. They say the GOP is grasping for a strategy now that it is in power and Trump is off to the least popular start in modern presidential history.

"In the past, for reasons I try to explain, I've often felt I had to be careful in public, like I was up on a wire without a net. Now I'm letting my guard down." (Hillary Rodham Clinton, from the introduction of What Happened)
For the first tim... read more

An Amazon Charts bestseller. Professor Theo Cray is trained to see patterns where others see chaos. So when mutilated bodies found deep in the Montana woods leave the cops searching blindly for clues, Theo sees something they missed. Something unnatu... read more

Follow Us on Twitter

Reading List

#1 New York Times Bestseller"Flips the classic born-in-a-shack rise to political office tale on its head. I skipped meals to read this book - also unusual - because every page was funny. It made me deliriously happy." - Louise Erdrich, The New York T... read more

He was the best of dogs... He was the worst of dogs... It was the age of invention... It was the season of surprise... It was the eve of supa sadness... It was the dawn of hope... Dog Man, the newest hero from the creator of Captain Underpants, ha... read more

Shop Amazon

Read the book that President Donald Trump is tweeting about!The most exhaustively researched and coherently argued Democrat Party apologia to date, Reasons to Vote for Democrats: A Comprehensive Guide is a political treatise sure to stand the test of... read more

"The Democrats: A Critical History is worthy reading for anyone who is interested in social change."--MediaMouse.org
The 2006 elections put the Democrats in the majority in both houses of Congress, yet those hoping for change have been de... read more

With presidential elections around the corner, what better way to show your support for the Democratic party than with a Democrat Donkey T-Shirt. Tee is a soft poly cotton blend with a printed 'tee luv' neck label.

Take A Dump With Donald Trump! We Know You Want To Dump On Trump! Here's To You Mr. Donald Trump! This toilet paper Trumps all the rest. The Donald. Love him? Hate him? Either way... you'll love this Donald Trump Funny Toilet Paper. Trump's face on E... read more

Made in the USA ONLY by 32 & Willys LLC out of premius Oracal 651 outdoor vinyl! How To Apply A Small Sticker or Decal Step 1 Clean the area thoroughly with rubbing alcohol or soap and water. Do not use Windex or similar products because it will ... read more

Add some fun to your clothes, purse, luggage, or any boring zipper with this seriously cool antiqued charm zipper pull. The charm dangles from the attached metal clip that can easily be added to your zipper. It includes the resin encased design on bo... read more